Tifa's Song
by koalababay
Summary: On life, friends, family, unrequited love...Tifa reflects as she and her companions journey into the center of the planet to face their final battle. songfic


_**-Warning: This contains spoilers!-**_

**Tifa's Song**

Northern Crater. They were at their final destination at last. Standing on jagged and unsafe rocks, the eight warriors gazed into the seemingly endless abyss, where bitter air and darkness surged deep into the core of the planet, and where fear exuded out of those very same shadows.

_I sense there's something in the wind_

Tifa watched each the members of her team with apprehension and fear to see that she was not the only one who was nervous and even a little frightened at what was to come. She's become so close to each of these members of AVALANCHE. No. They weren't just part of the same team. They were her friends. Trusted friends that she loved and cared for...they're her family now. There's no other way to describe how they all feel towards one another after everything that they've overcome together. _'What if we don't all make it out? We've already lost Aerith…I don't think I can bear anymore sorrow…' _A painful chill went down Tifa's spine at the dreadful thought.

_That feels like tragedy's at hand_

As they began their journey into the center of the planet, Tifa trailed behind, lost in her thoughts. She smiled softly to herself as she looked at the seven backs in front of her. Yuffie, and her endless supply of energy and optimism, was twirling her shuriken in one hand as she walked. Stoic Vincent, who Tifa knew, deep down, truly cared about everyone he was traveling with, was trailing silently a few feet behind Yuffie. Fowl-mouthed Cid, who was secretly ambitious and kindhearted, but hid his feelings behind vulgar words and impulsive behavior, was just a few feet in front of Tifa. He was smoking a cigarette as he grumbled about how bad Northern Cave smelled. Cait Sith, controlled by Reeve from the Shinra Company, was pounding on the stuffed moogle's head with his microphone as it shuffled along, urging it to "..move yer oversized feet faster, will ya?" Reeve was risking a lot to help them save the planet, and Tifa had a lot of respect for him because of it. She looked slightly to her right to see Red XIII swinging his fiery tail from side to side, and was apparently deep in thought just like Tifa. He _already_ had so much knowledge of the world, and he was still considered _young_ for his species. Barret, her protective friend that took her in when she was all alone, was arrogantly striding right behind Cloud; he desperately wanted to be considered the leader, but reluctantly agreed that Cloud was probably the best man for the job. He was examining his gun-arm with obvious concentration as he continued to walk. Tifa's eyes finally rested on their leader's back. She smiled softly to herself again as she watched his motionless spiky blond hair and his body as he moved. Tifa's smile disappeared when she noticed that his shoulders were slumped forward in a sad way, almost as if he had given up on something, as he led the way for everyone.

_And though I'd like to stand by him_

They encountered several beasts along their path, larger and more powerful than any creature Tifa had ever seen on the surface of the planet, and they somehow managed to defeat every single one. But that didn't mean that there weren't any aches and wounds to show for it. Tifa still couldn't help but feel uneasy, though, regardless of their victorious challenges. Who knows what else was in store for the eight of them when they ventured down into the very center of the planet? _'I have to do anything and everything I can to protect everyone. It's their lives above mine…' _Eyes widening at the sudden thought, she nodded her head in determination.

Sephiroth was here somewhere, deep below, as they journeyed with anticipation and anxiety. What will he have in store for them when they meet him for the final battle? Tifa glanced at Cloud again. He seemed so serious…so _ready _to end this with Sephiroth once and for all. She looked down at his fists to see them slowly clenching and unclenching.

_Can't shake this feeling that I have_

She knew that Cloud was almost unapproachable sometimes. Tifa sighed and rubbed her tense arms to try to stay warm in this cold, dark place. He was so distant, so sad, so _alone_. Tifa desperately wanted to be the one to mend the broken pieces of his shattered heart, but she knew that Cloud would probably never let anyone get as close to him as _she_ did, for fear of having it brutally taken away from him again. But that wasn't enough to stop Tifa from loving Cloud with all of her heart and soul, though.

Tifa was lost in thought while walking for hours upon hours, but she broke free of her reveries when she heard an unusual sound. They kept walking, and the noise got louder with every step they took. It sounded like someone was slapping gooey flesh against the hard surface of the cavern. Tifa shuddered, not wanting to find out what it was. When they finally reached a clearing in the cave, something was in the center, blocking them from their progress. It was JENOVA, and the creature was in its most repulsive form yet, with elongated tentacle-like appendages and an enormous, gelatinous thorax. The image made Tifa feel sick to her stomach, and she wanted to run away as fast as she possibly could. But no. She couldn't run! She's come too far to just give up now. Plus, this wouldn't even be the last fight. Sephiroth still awaited their arrival…

_The worst is just around the bend_

Cloud, still in the lead, looked behind him for a split second, giving everyone a quick, but firm nod as a cue to take the evil monster down. He unsheathed his sword and sprinted over to the disgusting creature to begin the battle. The other seven warriors followed behind, some taking the front row with offensive attacks like Red XIII's claws and fangs, Cait Sith's magic microphone and dice, and Cid's spear. Barret, Vincent and Yuffie stayed a little farther back to utilize their own long-range weapons. Tifa, however, was torn. She didn't know if she should help out offensively or defensively. She knew her fists were a force to be reckoned with, but she would never forgive herself if something happened to any of her friends when she knew she could have done something to prevent it.

_And does he notice my feelings for him?_

Just as Tifa's thoughts reached that drastic "what if," she heard Cloud grunt in pain. One of the creature's tentacles sent him flying through the air, several feet behind the battlefield. As Tifa's mind instantly cleared of all prior confusion, she sprinted over to where Cloud lay in pain, and crouched down. "Cloud, are you okay?" Cloud just nodded his head, jaw clenched, but as he tried to get up, he immediately fell back into Tifa's ready arms. "Hold on just a sec…" Tifa closed her eyes in concentration and tried to draw forth the curative magic from her green materia. When she felt the power within her reach its maximum, she shouted out, "CURE!" The spell was so mighty that it cured not only Cloud of his minor injury, but all of her allies on the battlefield as well. _'Wow, I didn't realize that was possible without the All materia…' _Tifa figured that materia, no matter which kind, would yield its complete power to its master if it felt a completely unselfish yearning within the caster. Cloud gave Tifa the smallest of a smile, not quite reaching his light blue eyes.

"Thanks…" Cloud stood up quickly, took hold of his sword and dashed back into battle with JENOVA. Tifa would have responded to his gratitude, but before she had the chance to speak, he was already gone. She took a deep breath and did a quick surveillance of the ongoing fight. Mind set, she decided that she would stand behind everyone else, not out of fear of the creature, but to protect her friends with remedies and curative magic if the need called for it. If she saw an opening for a punch or a swift kick, she would take it, but she was afraid to risk the creature harming her loved ones. Tifa couldn't bring her eyes away from one specific loved one, though. She inched a little closer to him, just in case. Tifa didn't want to take any chances with the fate of her spiky-haired best friend.

_And will he see how much he means to me?_

After fighting for what felt like hours, a loud, high-pitched, and horrifying screech resounded throughout the clearing just before JENOVA crumbled to the ground, defeated. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, Tifa looked over everyone's profiles, and was satisfied to see that no one had any major wounds or injuries. Tifa walked over to stand next to Cloud with a huge smile dimpling into her porcelain cheeks. She reached forward to grab his hand in a friendly, yet meaningful, embrace, but just before their hands met, Cloud folded his arms across his chest. Tifa shook it off and crossed her arms as well, feeling just slightly embarrassed. She cleared her throat, "We did it, Cloud!" Cloud's face remained as stoic as ever, and he took a few steps away from the group, trying to figure out which destination would lead them to Sephiroth.

Cloud closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. "It's not over yet…" He didn't even turn around to face Tifa as he replied to her exclamation.

"Cloud, wait!" Tifa tried to get Cloud to stop walking away from them. She succeeded, and he turned around, looking slightly confused.

"What's the hold up?" he slowly questioned.

Tifa looked at everybody else to see that they were properly equipping themselves and checking their items to make sure they were ready for the final showdown. "We need a second to prepare ourselves."

"Okay…but then we need to mosey," was his only reply as he stood there, looking anywhere but at their faces.

_I think it's not to be_

When everybody was finally ready to go, Yuffie ran ahead of them all, raising her shuriken in the air, shouting, "Come on, slowpokes!" This earned her a laugh out of every single one of them, even Cloud and Vincent, though their response was more of a brief smirk than anything else.

Suddenly, Yuffie stopped running and looked down, letting out a terrified shriek, "Gawd! The floor's alive!"

Tifa looked down to see the ground below them glowing and vibrating uncontrollably. "W-What the hell?" Cid bellowed over the earsplitting racket of the shifting rocks. Tifa had an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. _'Is the floor dropping from underneath our feet?'_

Just as Tifa pondered that terrifying thought, the floor completely disappeared from underneath them, sending them spiraling down into the unknown abyss.

Tifa couldn't see or hear anything. She didn't know if her friends were near or if she was all alone. It was like a nightmare. She felt like she had been falling forever in the loneliness of the dark, but out of nowhere, a small light appeared below her. Cloud must've been close to her because she heard him mutter, "Is this light…Holy?"

As the light began to fade, everything else around Tifa lit up with an eerie, transcendent glow. She looked around her to see that she was still floating in the air, but she was no longer moving. Tifa also noticed, with relief, that her seven comrades were there too.

"Oww man, what is dis place!?" Barret growled when he blinked his eyes open to the harsh, blinding light. Looking around him, he muttered, "So everybody's together again…"

With a force unknown to all eight of them, they were all seized up and drawn closer to a mako-enclosed rock. Squinting her eyes as best as she could to try to see inside of it, Tifa gasped when she saw long silver hair within the core. Sephiroth was using this power against them, and it was so tremendous, she didn't know if she could go on; he was restraining her from any movement whatsoever. He must've been doing the same to her friends too because she heard various grunts and gasps of surprise from around her. Worried for her best friend, she tried to scan her eyes over to her best friend's form since her muscles weren't functioning. "C-Cloud?…"

_What will become of my dear friend?_

Cloud seemed to be struggling with an intense power within himself, for he was quivering, and his eyes were slightly glazed over. "S-Sephiroth?…That light…A-Aerith's prayer is shining…!"

Everything around them started spinning and vanishing. Sephiroth was using his power to transport them to a new, surreal battlefield to finish them off. _'No, he won't win!'_

The force finally released them from its powerful grasp, and they all fell to the ground, slightly shaken up. Tifa tried to get everybody's attention, "We all good? Anyone hurt?"

Everyone nodded their heads in response, at a complete loss for words. Tifa slowly looked up to see Sephiroth hovering above them, with one black wing on his right side, and with the lower body of a...horse? _'What has he become!?'_

Cloud took a few steps ahead of everyone, sword drawn. "Sephiroth! It's over!" Sephiroth just smirked antagonistically at Cloud's outburst before casting his first spell of the battle. The massive power hit everyone, and Tifa was surprised by the malevolence she felt within the air. _'He must really hate us for trying to take him down…'_

Cloud stood up, brushing off the pain, and led their group into the epic battle…

_Where will his actions lead us then?_

Tifa was glad to see that everyone was holding their own against Sephiroth. It wasn't easy, though…albeit it was eight against one, but Sephiroth's power alone was the equivalent of more than an army-load of strong warriors. She decided to stay in the back row again this time, ready and willing to cure anyone who needed it, or dispel any magical boost that Sephiroth would cast on himself. She just wouldn't face the possibility of Sephiroth taking anymore innocent lives.

Cloud seemed to be inflicting, and receiving, the brunt of the damage against Sephiroth. Something seemed to have come over him. _'Anger? Determination?' _Whatever it was, it gave him the boost of strength he needed to overcome their formidable foe.

As Cloud laid down the finishing blow against Sephiroth, he screamed, "This is for everyone that you've killed!" Their enemy vanished in a flurry of limbs and feathers, completely gone from the scene.

Upon Sephiroth's disappearance, the group was sent skyrocketing upwards, back to where they were just before they took on JENOVA. The only difference about this place was that they were standing on a formation of rocks on the side of the clearing; the center was still gone from when it disappeared after the battle with Sephiroth's "mother."

Her comrades all had expression of elation and glee, now that they had finally defeated the planet's worst enemy. Tifa saw Yuffie doing back handsprings and flips in the air out of pure joy, shrieking, "Yes! We finally did it!"

_Although I'd like to join the crowd  
In their enthusiastic cloud_

Tifa's heart plummeted to her feet when she saw Cloud look as forlorn as before, if not even more so. "Cloud…"

"This is all we could do…" he murmured.

Everyone's smiles instantly disappeared after hearing Cloud's serious tone.

"Cloud, what about Holy?" Tifa inquired.

"Yeah, what's gonna happen to the planet?" Barret grumbled.

"Meteor's still out there!" Yuffie added nervously.

Cloud shook his head sadly. "I don't know…I think it's up to the planet to decide…"

Tifa nodded in solemn agreement. "You're right, Cloud. We've done everything we could possibly do. We'll just have to wait and see."

Cloud nodded. "Let's just leave our worries here, guys, and go home proud that we did what we could." He seemed to be casting off his sorrows at this place.

Barret muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, _"Whatever you say, spiky-head," _before climbing some of the rocks to lead the group out of the clearing. Tifa and Cloud took up the rear, and just before they caught up to everyone, Cloud stopped moving.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" Tifa asked, worried for her friend. His eyes were closed and his body was shaking uncontrollably. "Cloud-"

"H-He's still here…" Cloud dropped down to his knees and squeezed the palms of his hands to his head in pain. "I…can feel it…"

_Try as I may, it doesn't last_

"Cloud!" Tifa dashed over to him, attempting to alleviate his pain. Before she could reach him, he stood up, arms outstretched, and fell forward into the endless abyss. "CLOUD!" _'No! He didn't just do that! I'm imagining things…' _She ran forward to the edge of the rocks and leaned over the side, looking down to see if he was playing some kind of a joke and was just hanging from the side of one of the rocks.

She dropped down to her knees in disbelief. He was nowhere to be found. Tifa tried to stifle a sob with both of her hands. _'He can't be…gone!' _"I'm not leaving without you!" Tifa cried into the eerie abyss, hoping to all gods that somehow, somewhere, he could hear her plea. Barret and the others were too far ahead to notice that Tifa was still down below. She didn't have the energy to shout at them to wait. It was pointless…nothing had any meaning…without Cloud.

_And will we ever end up together?_

Something terrible must have happened deep below because Tifa felt a huge surge of energy underneath her, causing all the rocks around her to start to fall. If she wasn't careful, she might get hit by some of the flying debris._ 'But it doesn't matter anyway…at least until Cloud gets back.' _She nodded her head, determined that she would kneel here and wait until Cloud comes returns, even if she dies in the process. _'If he comes back…'_

Tifa blinked away her tears, still staring into the endless pit. Gasping out of surprise, Tifa did a double take when she saw something strange. _'Is that…Cloud?' _He was rising with what appeared to be Lifestream, and his arm was outstretched so she could give him a hand up onto the slippery slope with her…only when she grasped his hand, a large rock fell just behind her, causing her to topple over the edge. Cloud's reflexes were too quick, however, and he somehow managed to grab onto a ledge before they both fell. He grunted slightly with the added weight of Tifa, since he was only using one arm to hold them both up, but he still spoke without sounding the least bit fazed.

"I think I'm beginning to understand now," Cloud stated.

Tifa bit her lip in confusion. "Understand what?"

"An answer from the planet…the Promised Land." Cloud tried, but failed, to hoist them both up onto the ledge. His one arm couldn't finish the job. Tifa buried her face into Cloud's chest in sorrow. _'We're gonna die here, aren't we…?' _

"I think I can meet her…there," he finished. Tifa's head jerked up to face Cloud, eyes widening in the process. Tifa knew exactly who he was talking about, and it hurt her more than she was willing to admit.

_No, I think not, it's never to become_

In a sudden burst of strength, Cloud finally succeeded in lifting her up onto the edge. Once Tifa crawled completely into the safe haven, she helped him hoist himself up to join her. They stayed on their knees out of fear that if they were to stand up, the instability of the rocks and the tremors from the cave walls around them would cause them to lose their balance. Suddenly looking very concerned, Cloud faced Tifa. "Where is everybody else?"

Tifa bit her lip again. "Umm…" She had no idea how far they had gotten. She had been in her own little world ever since Cloud had disappeared. _  
_

"Hey! Over here!!" A chirpy voice came resounding from above. Yuffie was waving to them, and she was with everybody else. They were on the opposite side of the cavern, albeit a little higher up than they were, but they all appeared to be just fine.

"Glad you guys are alright!" Barret hollered from afar. Scratching his head in concern, he asked, "But what are we supposed to do now?"

"If we are correct in assuming that Holy is moving, then this place…" Red XIII didn't need to finish the thought to let everybody know what their fate would be. Everyone already knew.

Cid looked heavenward with an expression of despair. "Oh, Lady Luck!! Don' fail me now…"

Suddenly, a tremendous quake, more powerful than the slight tremors they had been experiencing, passed over the cavern. Looking up, Tifa saw a strange shape coming at them. "What the…"

It was the Highwind…and it was headed directly for them. Looking across the way to glance at Cid, Tifa saw his cigarette topple wordlessly out of his mouth in shock and surprise. He must not have expected his crewmen to come to their rescue. Tifa giggled softly to herself in spite of the situation they were in.

Once they were in the safety of Cid's airship and out of the hellish cavern, AVALANCHE was unnerved to see Meteor closing in on the what was probably the area of Midgar. This couldn't be the end. Not after everything they've done to try to prevent the death of their planet.

"Midgar? MARLENE!!" Barret choked up, fists balling in fury. "No…"

"I hope people seek refuge in the slums!" Cait Sith blurted out. "But the way things are looking now…" he shook his head morosely at the sight of Midgar and Meteor.

"I believe it is too late for Holy," Red XII offered sadly, upon seeing Holy's weak sheet of white light attempt to defend the city. "It seems to be having the opposite effect against Meteor."

"Forget Midgar," Vincent monotonously added. "The whole planet is in peril."

Tifa was trying to hold back tears the whole time her team was conversing despondently. She couldn't stand looking at Midgar anymore; the city may not be her hometown, but she still had a lot of wonderful memories there. Walking over to the rail on the airship's deck, Tifa sent her gaze over to the Cosmo Canyon area. She could have sworn that she saw something green just flicker in that region. _'Maybe my eyes are just playing tricks on me…'_ Rubbing her tired eyes, she blinked a few times and looked back to where she saw the green light. It was still there, but now it was even more visible than before. "You guys, what's that?" She pointed after she got everyone's attention.

Cloud joined Tifa at the rail, closing his eyes at the sight. "Lifestream." The green glow was coming from all directions at that point, surrounding the ship in holy pillars. The opalescent tendrils of lifestream began to snake its way over to Midgar. Then, upon meeting all the other tendrils at the center of Midgar, they jutted upward to add to Holy's power against Meteor.

When the two entities clashed, a blindingly white light flashed throughout the whole planet. Tifa couldn't hear any sound that would be evidence of the collision, but when the light faded away, she knew that the Lifestream had done its work. Meteor was gone. She nodded her head slowly, and smiled at the thought of a second chance at life for the planet. Tifa's heart warmed slightly when she saw her best friend's serene expression.

His eyes were closed, a small smile gracing his lips. "Thank you…Aerith."

_For I am not the one _

_X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X_

**Disclaimer**: I don't own FFVII or Sally's Song from Nightmare Before Christmas

**A/N: **What can I say? I was suddenly inspired from a sad, yet absolutely beautiful song! If you haven't checked out that song, you really should! Especially Amy Lee's gorgeous cover of it! XD

I know I changed a bit of the Jenova and Sephiroth battle but I haven't played the game in forever!…so I didn't completely remember all the details…

Oh…and REVIEW PWEEZE? I'm curious to see if I totally butchered this or if it came out decent…kay thanks for reading!!

_-koalababay-_


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